Second Chance Studio

Monday, February 27, 2012

Kitchen Update-Week 1 Progress

Ok, that title may be a little misleading considering we have been working on our kitchen since September. But here is our progress after a week with our contractor.

He was able to fix all of the wires that were hung in the soffit. He reinforced the opening and started drywalling.

Then he finished up the drywall on both sides and the ceiling.

He built our cabinets, which I primed this weekend. This is a glimpse of what we are living in right now.

We decided on Wednesday night that we were going to put new flooring in the kitchen. We didn't have enough extra flooring to patch the open areas. We were also concerned that they would not be able to be refinished. They were pretty scratched up. Then when you factor in the sanding and the multiple coats of finish, it just made sense to put down a floating laminate floor. We really wanted real hardwood, but that was going to entail pulling up all of the subfloor. So with the additional expense and work it was going to take, we decided on laminate.

This photo shows the self leveler that Mitch put on the floor.

Here's a random photo of the ceiling after 3 coats of mud.

Someone left a comment inquiring about what we did with our existing cabinets. The bottom cabinets were not salvageable, but the upper cabinets found a home in our garage.

Here's an in progress shot of the floor installation.

It took Mitch and I about 5 hours to do the floor. Once we found our groove it went pretty fast.

Our contractor is installing the cabinets today. Then he is going to start making all the doors for the cabinets. The countertops are being templated tomorrow. They will be installed next Monday. I will be back tomorrow with photos of our cabinets and tell you about our countertop choice.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Kitchen Update- Demo Completed

Mitch finished the demo on the kitchen this weekend. This is what our kitchen looked like on Saturday.

I am so excited about the opening between the two rooms.

Here's the view from the other side. Mitch got started when I was not home, so I did not get any good before photos. It was basically a wall of fake wood paneling. We are hoping to have the whole room drywalled soon.

On Sunday he took out the rest of the cabinets, dishwasher, and sink.

It's all ready for our contractor.

You can't really tell from this photo, but I can see all the way to my bedroom now.

Here's the view from the other side of the room.

In case you forgot what it looked like before.

The contractor started work on Monday so I will have some more photos and updates to share soon.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Cuddly Owl Tutorial and Pattern

It's been awhile since I have made an owl softie, so I have been itching to create a new simple pattern. I thought I would use some of the scraps from the quilt I just made to make a sweet owl for the new baby. I snapped some (dark) photos of the process so I could include a tutorial.

The first thing you are going to do is cut out your pieces. You can print the pieces using the link below.

Pattern Pieces

I used a minky fabric for the main body pieces and back side of the wings, but you could use whatever type of fabric you have on hand. I think this owl would be really cute made out of felted wool. I used scrap pieces for the face and wings.

Then applique the face on one of the main body pieces. Sorry I have no photograph of the pieces before I sewed them on. I did not use fusible interfacing because I was lazy. I just basted it in place then zig zagged around the edges.

Take the wing pieces and place them right sides together.

Sew around the curved edge. Keep the straight edge open.

Turn right side out.

Place the wings on the main body piece that has been appliqued with the printed fabric side down.

Baste in place.

Place the other main body pice on top with right sides facing. Sew along both sides and ears leaving a space for turning between the ears.

Take the oval piece and pin it to the bottom of the owl.

Here's another look. This is definitely the trickiest part. Sew all the way around the bottom.

Turn right side out through the opening in the top. Stuff with your favorite filling. Then hand sew the opening shut. That's it.

This took me less than an hour from start to finish. Gotta love that!!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Lessons With The Lorax Blog Tour

I was asked to participate in a blog tour to support the upcoming release of Universal Pictures’ Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. I am so honored to be part of this wonderful series.

I can't wait to go see the movie. I think the kids are really going to love it.

In honor of The Lorax, I wanted to share a project reusing an item that can be found in most people's homes. Reusing items around the house and transforming them into something new is one of my favorite things to do. It's rubbing off on the kids too. They are notorious for finding uses for things that are destined for the recycle bin. I love that!!

We have had such a mild winter this year. With temperatures in the 50's and 60's, it feels like Spring is just around the corner. I am already planning our garden for this year. To satisfy some of my gardening cravings, I decided to go ahead and get started on some of my herbs. Today I am going to show you how to turn toilet paper rolls into seed starter pots.

Let's get started.

The first thing you will need is toilet paper rolls, preferably ones that have not been bleached. I did find some that looked like they had been bleached. I used them to see if my project would work. I won't use them in the garden though.

Then you want to cut the rolls in half.

Next, cut up newspaper or any other thin non glossy paper you can find. The newspaper really worked the best, but I also had some brown paper that was used in a package I received. It worked pretty well too. Cut the paper into small strips.

Then layer the strips across the bottom of the toilet paper roll. I also put a strip all the way around the toilet paper roll to secure the pieces across the bottom.

The kids loved helping.

Let them dry overnight.

Once they are dry, you can fill them up with compost or potting soil.

I placed a couple of cilantro seeds in each of mine, then covered them with the compost.

Then give them a little bit of water.

Once your new seedlings are big enough and it is warm enough outside, you can transplant the pots to your garden. Remove the paper bottom before planting to allow the roots more room to grow.